The present disclosure relates generally to the method and process of embedding a tissue sample in a tissue cassette.
A biopsy is the removal of a tissue sample to examine tissue for signs of cancer or other disorders. Tissue samples are obtained in a variety of ways using various medical procedures involving a variety of the tissue sample collection devices. For example, biopsies may be open (surgically removing tissue) or percutaneous (e.g. by fine needle aspiration, core needle biopsy or vacuum assisted biopsy).
After the tissue sample is collected, the tissue sample is analyzed at a lab (e.g. a pathology lab, biomedical lab, etc.) that is set up to perform the appropriate tests (such as histological analysis). Although this disclosure refers to a sample, it should be understood that the term sample can refer to one or more samples.
In order to properly process the tissue sample a series of steps may be performed including:
In conventional methods, the grossing step involves a lab technician cutting the tissue to the appropriate size for analysis and then placing the tissue in a tissue cassette. During the fixation stage, the cassettes may be exposed to a fixing agent or chemical (e.g., a solution of formaldehyde in water such as formalin) shortly after sample collection. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,156,814 discloses a cassette which can withstand tissue preparation procedures.
After the tissue sample has been processed, the medical professional, in conventional methods, removes the tissue sample from the individual cassette to perform the embedding step. Specifically, the medical professional carefully orients the tissue sample, based on, for example, the tissue type or cross-section required, into a mold containing an embedding material such as paraffin wax. Once the tissue is oriented properly in the mold, the molten material is cooled to fully embed the tissue sample and hold it in the proper orientation. The paraffin is used to hold the tissue sample in position while also providing a uniform consistency to further facilitate sectioning. While the term paraffin is used, this term is not limiting and describes an example of an embedding medium.
Then the tissue sample is removed and sliced into a plurality of thin sections (e.g., 2 to 25μ thick sections), often using a microtome, for further processing and inspection. Such sectioning of the tissue sample, and further processing such as staining, often helps a medical professional properly assess the tissue sample under a microscope (e.g. diagnose relationships between cells and other constituents of the tissue sample, or perform other assessments).
The current process requires human intervention at the grossing, embedding and loading steps. Such manual handling of the tissue sample can increase the likelihood of mis-identifying the tissue sample, cross contaminating the tissue samples, or losing part or the entire sample. Additionally, the numerous steps of manual manipulation can often increase the time that it takes to provide a proper assessment for each sample, once the tissue sample is collected.
This invention provides a method for treating a tissue sample in which the tissue sample may be orientated during the grossing step and remain in the same orientation during the subsequent embedding step. Through the multiple embodiments, the method of processing, fixing, and embedding the tissue sample in a tissue cassette of this invention reduces the manual handling of the tissue samples. Example embodiments of this application may address one or more of the above identified issues. However, an embodiment of this application need not solve, address, or otherwise improve on existing technologies.
In the following detailed description, reference will be made to the accompanying drawing(s), in which similar elements are designated with similar numerals. The aforementioned accompanying drawings show by way of illustration and not by way of limitation, specific example embodiments and implementations consistent with principles of an example embodiment. These implementations are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice an example embodiment and it is to be understood that other implementations may be utilized and that structural changes and/or substitutions of various elements may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of an example embodiment. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be construed in a limited sense.
An example of a method for processing, embedding, and preparing a tissue sample 2 for analysis after extraction will now be described according to a non-limiting embodiment.
A tissue cassette 1 used to implement the method of the present invention is illustrated in
Generally, when the base 4 and the retaining member 6 are engaged as shown in
In a non-limiting embodiment, the first tissue engaging surface 20 may have protrusions 46 to stop moving towards the second tissue engaging surface once it contacts the tissue sample 2. As an additional precaution, as shown in
The steps of processing the tissue sample 2 with one or more solvents are shown in
The step of embedding the tissue sample 2 will now be described with respect to
As shown in
Once the paraffin 25 has solidified and the tissue sample 2 is embedded, the base 4 may be detached from the retaining member 6 to expose one end of the embedded tissue sample while still remaining attached to either the first tissue engaging surface 20 or the second tissue engaging surface 14.
As shown in
The individual components of the tissue cassette will now be described in more detail with respect to
The rim 16 is provided with four walls and a substantially rectangular shape. On the inside of the rim 16 one end of the biasing member 22 is attached. The other end of the biasing member 22 attaches to the retaining element 18 at either a connector 19 or the first tissue engaging surface 20.
As shown in
The base 4 will now be described with reference to
An example of a biasing element that may be used in the above described embodiment is shown in
As shown in
More specifically, as shown in
The biasing element 22 has a particular flexibility to ensure that the tissue sample 2 is held between the first and second tissue engaging surfaces 14, 20, on the one hand, but to also ensure that the tissue sample 2 withstands any permanent damage during processing.
As noted above, in some embodiments a frame 8 is placed around the outside perimeter of the retaining member 6 and functions to secure the retaining member 6 to the base 4. The frame 8 may also be used as a means for identifying the tissue sample. As shown in in
In a non-limiting embodiment, the frame 8 and the retaining member 6 are not easily removed so that once the tissue cassette 1 is used, the label 54 on the frame 8 will remain matched with the tissue sample 2 contained in the tissue cassette 1. In certain embodiments, frame 8 has a locking projections 12 which projects from the inside the perimeter of the frame 8, shown in
The base 4 includes a latching member 9 which acts as a clip or lock to hold the base 4 to the frame 8. Alternatively, if a frame 8 is not used, the latching member 9 can lock the base 4 to the retaining member 6.
As shown in
An important aspect of tissue sample analysis is properly keeping track of tissue samples. In some embodiments, the tissue cassette 1 includes a label 54 or ID tag as shown in
The label 54 may be a computer or human readable tag including, but not limited to, labels having an incorporated RFID, labels having an incorporated one-dimensional barcode (1-D barcode), labels having an incorporated two-dimensional barcode (2-D barcode), and labels having an incorporated three-dimensional barcode (3-D barcode). However, the computer readable label is not limited to RFID, 1-D barcode, 2-D barcode, or 3-D barcode labels and may include any type of label readable by a computer as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art.
In some embodiments, a label 54 is present that may be sensitive to changes to the tissue sample or itself. For example, a label 54 may be present that changes physical (i.e. color) or chemical (i.e. redox, conjugation, etc.) properties during fixation of the tissue sample. Similarly, a label 54 may be present that is sensitive to the processing steps which precede embedding (i.e. dehydration). Alternatively, a label 54 may be present that is sensitive to the embedding step (i.e. infiltration of paraffin). The label 54 may have a property that changes incrementally or switches when the step is complete. In this way, the technician, or an automated system, will be able to determine when the tissue sample has finished one step before another is started.
For example, the biasing member 58 on the base 4 may be used only to enable the releasing of the force that is applied by the biasing member 58 on retaining member 6. As an example, in this embodiment, the tissue cassette 1 provides a two position floor. The first position is when the biasing member 58 on the base 4 compresses the second tissue engaging surface 14 upwardly such that the tissue engaging surface is compressed up towards the retaining member 6 to compress the tissue sample 2. The second position is when the force of the biasing member 58 on the base is released so that the second tissue engaging surface 14 is moves downwardly. In this way, the second tissue engaging surface 14 retracts away from the tissue 2, such that the floor of the base retracts, similar to the first tissue engaging surface 20 of the previous embodiments retracting towards and away from the tissue sample 2. Other than these differences noted, the embodiment shown in
The tissue cassette 1 can be made from various materials and the same or different materials can be used for the retaining member 6, including the retaining element 18, the first tissue engaging surface 20, the mesh portion 42, and the base 4. Examples of materials used include: an acetal copolymer, Teflon, polypropylene, and stainless steel. In a non-limiting embodiment, the acetal copolymer is DELRIN 900. In a non-limiting embodiment, the base 4 is made out of a polypropylene material so that the base 4 does not attach to the paraffin after the tissue sample 2 is embedded.
In a non-limiting embodiment, the tissue cassette, including the base, the retaining member, and/or the frame, may be produced from a material lacking any dye or coloring. The lack of color may allow the technician to view the tissue sample in the tissue cassette and ensure that the tissue sample has remained in its desired orientation after embedding. In these embodiments, the tissue cassette, including the base, the retaining member, and/or the frame may be at least at least opaque or clear.
Although a few example embodiments have been shown and described, these example embodiments are provided to convey the subject matter described herein to people who are familiar with this field. It should be understood that the subject matter described herein may be embodied in various forms without being limited to the described example embodiments. The subject matter described herein can be practiced without those specifically defined or described matters or with other or different elements or matters not described. It will be appreciated by those familiar with this field that changes may be made in these example embodiments without departing from the subject matter described herein as defined in the appended claims and their equivalents. Further, any description of structural arrangement of components or relationship there between is merely for explanation purposes and should be used to limit an example embodiment.
Aspects related to the example embodiment have been set forth in part in the description above, and in part should be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of embodiments of the application. Aspects of the example embodiment may be realized and attained using the elements and combinations of various elements and aspects particularly pointed out in the foregoing detailed description and the appended claims.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing descriptions are an example and are explanatory only and are not intended to be limiting.
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